A Midnight Masquerade
by Princess Amoretta
Summary: A masquerade, a prince, a princess, and a lost shoe. Will the prince ever find his princess again?
1. Prologue

A Midnight Masquerade

A masquerade, a prince, a princess, and a lost shoe. Will the prince ever find his princess again?

Prologue

"May I introduce, the lovely Cinderella." the doorman called before a beautiful girl dressed in a baby blue Victorian styled dress stepped in front of him. She had pale skin, which beautifully accented chestnut curls falling in ringlets down her back and the delicate cream-colored mask adorning her face.

"Blaise," Draco said as he elbowed his friend in the ribs, "That's the one. I'm going to go talk to her right now."

"You go get her!" Blaise encouraged as he patted him on the back.

Draco quietly strutted up behind the young maiden watching her look around nervously.

"Cinderella, I see you've made it here safely." He whispered into her ear from behind.

She jumped in surprise. "Of course, my Prince Charming, I wouldn't leave you here alone would I?"

"I would sure hope not." He replied as he took her hand and guided her onto the dance floor. "I've been waiting to meet you for a long time now."

"As have I." she said gliding to the beat of the waltz. "You seem better in real life, now that I think of it."

"Is that a good thing?" he asked as he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Perhaps, I think I was just scared that I was talking to someone…er…not as good looking as you"

"You mean you couldn't see my good looks through my romantic words?" He asked faking a hurt voice.

"I wouldn't really call your words romantic, more like cheesy and cliché." She said fake mocking him.

"Well, I never." Draco huffed, a smile adorning his face.

They danced the rest of the evening talking about everything from Quidditch to politics. Never once mentioning who they were to the other.

At around 11:30, they decided to take a walk outside in the gardens. They wandered about a bit before finally talking.

"So, milady, how has your evening been so far?" The young man asked while looking at her reflection on the lake below them

"It's been wonderful!" she sighed as she leaned her head against his shoulder "Where did you hear about this ball?"

"Well, um, you see, I'm very close to the Malfoys and they invited me to this ball and said to bring a guest" He lied through his teeth.

"Well, I'm honored you chose me." She said before getting on her toes and kissing him on the cheek. "Let's go inside, I want to catch the last dance" she said as she started heading towards the door.

Draco was stunned; the girl of his dreams just kissed him. Sure it wasn't on the lips, but it was still a kiss. He reached his hand up to touch his still tingling cheek.

"You coming?" her voice alerted him.

"Yah, I'm coming" he replied starting to walk towards her.

As they got inside, they got onto the dance floor as they caught the last dance.

As the dance ended and the clock struck 12, Narcissa Malfoy got onto the stage, not knowing her son was in the room, and made an announcement.

"It is now 12 'o clock and time to take off some masks!"

Draco looked at his Cinderella nervously "So," he asked "I'll go first?'

"Sure, I've been dying to know who this charming young fellow was all night"

"Okay." He said as he reached his hands up to untie the strings on the back of his head. But just before he pulled the knot out, his mother came up.

"Draco darling! There you are! I've been looking for you all night! Who is this lovely girl?"

The 'lovely girl' heard nothing more as she had dashed out of the ballroom and down the hall.

Draco looked at his mom as if to say: Thanks a million mom, you scared away the girl of my dreams, before running off after her.

By the time he had finally caught sight of her, they were already nearing the doors.

"Wait!" He called out to her as he and she kept running, "I don't even know who you are! Why are you running, have I done something wrong?"

"Yes!" she screamed, still running. "You hurt me and you lied to me about who you are!"

Just then she reached the exit and pushed open the doors. She dashed outside apparating with a "pop" leaving nothing behind but a shoe and some memories that would last a lifetime.

Just then Blaise and his mother came dashing through the doors to see Draco sitting on the ground, shoe in hand.

"Draco, mate, are you alright?" Blaise asked

"No, I'm not alright. The girl of my dreams hates me and I don't even know who she is" he said staring at the delicate slipper.

"There, there, Draco darling. Everything will be fine. You'll find her" his mother said trying to comfort him.

"I hope so mum, I really do"


	2. Chapter 1

A Midnight Masquerade

A masquerade, a prince, a princess, and a lost shoe. Will the prince ever find his princess?

Chapter One

Draco couldn't get her mind off of Her. That night had been perfect until his mother came along. What did he do to offend her? Did he know her? Did she know him? Draco sighed in frustration. He had no idea what so ever on who she was and all he had was a shoe to remember her by. A shrill whistle brought him out of his daze as he hurried over to the train to secure a ride to school.

As the whistle blew, She quickly said her last good-byes to her parents and scrambled onto the train. She soon found an empty compartment and sat down to read but found she could not concentrate and put the book down and stared out the window to think. She analyzed every aspect of that wonderful night and how it would have been perfect if her date hadn't been him and if she hadn't lost her very expensive shoe. She laughed to herself. It sounds just like the story Cinderella, who was also her character for the night.

Draco sighed as he entered his usual compartment already filled with his housemates. He sat down and everyone started talking to him and asking him questions like, "how was your winter?", "So who's the mystery girl?", or in Pansy's sake "What mystery girl? I thought you loved me!"

Draco closed his eyes in frustration. He really did like the attention but he just didn't like Pansy that way. He needed to get out of there. He stood up and everyone stopped talking. Without saying anything, he slid open the door and stepped outside. Draco didn't go anywhere for a while but just stood facing the wall outside the compartment and just sort of leaned against it for a little bit. He collected his thoughts and started to roam around the hallway.

She sighed, she couldn't get her mind off of him, even with her friends in the compartment with her. She stood up slowly and despite the questions from her friends, stood up and walked out of the compartment. Once outside she took a deep breath and started to walk around. For a moment she wasn't looking where she was going and bumped into someone. She looked up and there HE was, Draco Malfoy. He seemed to calculate her for a while before a sneer steadily made its way onto his angelic features.

"Watch where you're going, wench" he said in a lazy drawl as he bumped her on his way by.

She sighed a sigh of relief, he didn't seem to recognize her. She smiled

Draco's sneer quickly faded. She had changed over the summer, she was better looking and seemed strikingly familiar. He turned back and a look of confusion crossed his features, she was smiling. Why was she smiling?? As he calculated the possible reasons, his ego took over and decided it was because she was honored with his presence. And with that, he took off feeling better back into his compartment

She felt him looking at her and knew he got the wrong idea when she smiled. But right now she didn't care and just wanted to make sure that he never found out who she was. She turned around and slipped back into the compartment and, ignoring the questions from her peers, started to read again.

"Attention all Hogwarts students" The announcer blared. "We will be arriving at Hogsmeade Station in approximately 15 minutes. Please change and gather your things by then. Have a nice day!"

Draco cursed loudly as he scrambled to get his robes changed after shoving Pansy out of the compartment. He did not want her to see more than necessary. Once he finished and started to gather up his things, he had a revelation which he immediately started to animatedly whisper to Blaise when Pansy poked her head in asking if he was done. When she saw him so close to Blaise she started sobbing something about her future husband being gay...

The girl stepped out of the train and onto the platform looking for an empty carriage to get onto without anyone to bother her. When she spotted an open one, she hopped in and hoped no one would want to come in also.

Once in Hogwarts, Draco started to put his plan in action. He started by gaining allies. Right after the feast he went to the editor of the school's paper, The Hogspimple, and asked to run an article on the front page.A girl would get a surprise the next morning.

It was a surprise alright! When She awoke the next morning, her dorm mates were squealing and shoving a paper into her face. When she got to look at the paper carefully, she gasped. There on the front cover of The Hogspimple was a picture of her in her outfit she wore to the ball with Malfoy. Beneath the picture was the headline: GIRL MISSING SHOE, PLEASE CLAIM! I WOULD LIKE TO MEET YOU!

Soon her dorm mates swarmed her and started saying what a terrible likeness it was to her. She immediately denied it and said she would not comply with the article which said: "Please, if you are a 5th year and above and remotely look like this girl, come to the courtyard at 4:00 pm to try the shoe!" Secretly, she wanted to try it and came up with an idea to try it and not get caught.

It was nearly 4:00 and Draco was getting anxious. He looked at the line of girls already lined up and sighed, this was going to take a while.

4:00 came and the girls came and went. The shoe was always too small, no one could fit such a dainty shoe. At around 4:30, when 1/4 the girls were gone a silence swept through the room and an aisle opened up through the middle of the mob. Draco gasped. The mystery girl was here, but not as a student. She was wearing the gown and mask from the ball and seemed to be limping. When he looked at her feet, she was only wearing one shoe, the other in his hand.

When she reached the front of the group he took one of her hands and kissed it. The crowd 'oohed' and 'awwed'. He then proceeded to help her into the shoe. It fit. Though not knowing who she was, he leaned forward and kissed her. As it got more heated in passion, he wrapped his arms around her head and pulled the string loose.


	3. Chapter 2

A Midnight Masquerade

A masquerade, a prince, a princess, and a lost shoe. Will the prince ever find his princess?

Chapter Two

Recap:

When she reached the front of the group he took one of her hands and kissed it. The crowd 'oohed' and 'awwed'. He then proceeded to help her into the shoe. It fit. Though not knowing who she was, he leaned forward and kissed her. As it got more heated in passion, he wrapped his arms around her head and pulled the string loose.

…

Or, at least he tried to. When he groped the back of her head for the string, it wasn't there! He pulled back in surprise.

She, sensing his confusion smirked. "You silly boy, you think I would use such a flimsy adhesive as string? I'm a witch! I can do magic." She said as she scoffed at his forgetfulness.

Draco, as if just now realizing that fact, regained his composure. "I know. Now that we've met again, why don't you take off that mask so I can see your lovely face?" He asked knowing that she would take her mask off.

The mysterious girl seriously considered it for a moment before dismissing the thought. "No," she said cautiously, "Not yet, I'm not sure you'll like what you see and I don't think I can take the rejection."

Their audience awed and Draco and the girl turned toward them as if they completely forgot they were there.

Draco lips upturned. "Then I shall wait." He said, drawing more "oohs" from the crowd. Then with a quick flash of pearly whites at his Cinderella he swept out of the Great Hall through the parted crowd.

As soon as the doors had slammed shut all eyes turned to the Mystery Girl to find that she too had left the room.

The room soon erupted in high-pitched chatter about this mystery girl stealing the most eligible bachelor in Hogwarts. These girls were pissed.

…

After running out one of the side doors "Cinderella" ran to her dorms. She flopped onto her bed and started bawling her eyes out thinking about all the ways Draco might react to her coming out. He could reject her. He could humiliate her. He could think she was kidding and seek payback. He could do so much. Little of which she could think of that were good.

She soon fell into a fitful sleep until the sound of the door slamming awoke her. Hoping her roommates didn't notice her jump she pretended to be asleep to hear some of their conversation.

"That bitch! Who the hell does she think she is? Coming in out of nowhere and stealing Draco." One shouted particularly loud.

"I know. She didn't even stay long enough for us to get a good look at her. I think I may have been able to figure out who she was if I could get a better look at her." The other fumed while taking off her "fancy" makeup.

The girl in bed silently scoffed. They knew nothing. And who were they calling a bitch? She wasn't talking about a girl she didn't even know behind her back (or so they thought).

After many minutes of gossiping they soon fell silent and fell asleep. Cinderella, on the other hand, had too much to think about to be able to sleep well. She tossed and turned all night, having nightmares of rejection and often waking in tears.

…

The next morning Draco awoke early and went on a stroll through the Hogwarts grounds. As he rounded a corner and reached the lake he realized that he wasn't the only one awake. On a rock, protruding from the water sat a girl. Draco went closer to see who she was. As he neared the rock he realized who it was and sneered.

"Oi. Granger!" He shouted. She turned around and a look of disgust crossed her face when she realized who it was.

"Sod off Malfoy." She shouted with as much venom as she could muster.

"Hell Granger, you look like shit! Did your boyfriends dump you or something?" He said as he saw her face. It was red and puffy and she looked alike she hadn't slept in days.

She glared at him but didn't respond. She seriously didn't need this.

"What, did I hit a soft spot? Did Weasel run off with Brown again? Or did Potty get caught in a broom cupboard with Mini Weasel?" he taunted. When she didn't respond again he kept throwing more insults at her trying to get her fired up. It wasn't until after a particularly hurtful comment about her parents and a cup of green pudding did she finally react.

"Do you know what Malfoy? I really don't give a shit about what you think so leave me alone! I came out here this morning to be by myself not tortured by you! If I had wanted that I would have come down to the Slytherin Common Room and asked for you to do it myself. So stay out of my business and disappear before I make you."

"Ooh Granger, I'm scared. Was that a threat?" He said in mock fear in spite of what she just said.

Hermione screamed in fury and jumped off the rock. She stormed at him, wand at the ready. Draco just laughed as he quickly disarmed her and her wand fell about 10 meters away. But that didn't stop her. She kept charging and was about to slap him when he caught her arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He said, voice full of hatred, "I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

He stared her in the eyes watching hatred, anger, and fear dance around in her chocolate pools. After a few moments of staring his eyes widened and he let go of her and ran off.

Hermione stared at the spot he once stood for a moment before fetching her wand. He perplexed her to no end. One moment he could be teasing her, trying to rile her up, the next he would be angry, and the next he would be confused. This puzzled her to no end. What could have bothered him so much that he ran away from her so quickly?


End file.
